We partner with 43 colleges and universities across the country to teach effective giving and distribute grants to local non-profits.

Click on the logos below to learn more about our partner schools and all the details about their Learning by Giving courses

In 2013-2014 we created and launched our own MOOC, Giving With Purpose, to open the practice of effective charitable giving to the world.

Hear from our faculty and students on experiences with their Learning by Giving course.

"A major philanthropist visited our class to hear a run though of our teams’ grant proposal presentations. Although he said he was just going to offer a comment or two, he quickly became engaged in discussion with students and ended up staying well beyond our scheduled time. He told me later that, he had never experienced such energy, commitment, and passion in a class. “They really get it.” he said, They have come to grips with what it means to be a philanthropist and to make hard choices."

Tom Morrione

Colby College

"Trusting students to make philanthropic investments that will have real-world consequences gives them a powerful sense of agency and social responsibility. The grant-making process exposes students to the intellectual, social, financial, and ethical complexities of social change in ways that readings and lectures simply cannot."

Rebecca Riccio

Northeastern University

"Cal’s Strategic Philanthropy class was remarkable from our very first offering. I will never forget watching a student group exploring green jobs for vets that was composed of a third-generation philanthropist, a foster youth, and an immigrant from the Middle East. That kind of diversity is attracted to the class, and is what makes it such a growth-inducing and deep personal experience for the students. Thanks to Learning by Giving Foundation for making this happen for our many, diverse students."

Nora Silver

UC Berkeley, Haas School of Business

"My involvement with the Learning by Giving Foundation since taking Rebecca Riccio's strategic philanthropy class at Northeastern University has completely transformed my view of grantmaking and what an honor it is to be a grantmaker in your community. From a student perspective, my understanding of community need has grown to include actors, ideas, and toolkits far beyond what I previously had been exposed to. Rebecca has inspired me to utilize the power of philanthropy in new, interdisciplinary ways."

Ali Fraenkel

Northeastern University Student

"What I love most about our "Philanthropy and Social Change" is the cross section of students from across Georgetown’s campus. From sophomores to seniors, nursing majors to business majors and more, the students came to the class with different interests and expectations. Some wanted the grant writing experience, others wanted to learn more about how to bring about social change—in measurable ways, and all were intrigued by the fact that they had real dollars to award. This class has been one of the best teaching experiences of my career. To be able to give students the opportunity to explore their own values, test their assumptions, practice decision making—all in the context of the real world. It doesn’t get better than that for me."

Please note that the Foundation only makes grants through our online courses, and the colleges & universities we partner with for our undergraduate courses. We do not make grants to individuals and cannot respond to such requests.